Thanksgiving
by iluvbadmovies
Summary: Warren isn't the only Peace. It's Thanksgiving and the rest are coming home.
1. Chapter 1

Warren walked in a daze down the steps of the empty mansion that his family once called home but now only he lived in. As he walked into the kitchen, he tripped over something lying in the middle of the hall. While picking himself up off the ground, he spotted the offending item, a black duffel bag. His sleep-addled brain tried to figure out why it was in the middle of the hall but he shrugged it off and kicked it out of his way. He entered the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of cereal. Halfway through the bowl of cheerios it hit him. He dropped the spoon, leaped out of his chair and ran upstairs. He looked at the calendar on his desk. No, no, no this has to be wrong no, no, no. It was Tuesday November 22, two days before thanksgiving and his peaceful, empty house was being invaded by the worst thing… his family.


	2. Chapter 2

To anyone who didn't know Warren it looked like he thought _Howl_ was the most interesting book in the world. His five friends however, noticed that he had been staring blankly at the same page for twenty minutes. Well, four of his five friends noticed, Zack was too busy talking about his family's holiday plans to notice much of anything.

"Yea, so alla my mom's sisters are comin over with my cousins. There'll be like fifty people. It will be so awesome!"

Ethan piped up from his seat between Warren and Magenta where he was doing his Mad Science homework, "I can't wait, my grandma is coming and she makes the best pumpkin pie and my uncle got a huge turkey."

"Lucky, we don't get a turkey this year." Magenta stated bitterly.

"What! Why not!" Zack was completely shocked by his girlfriend's family's lack of Thanksgiving Spirit.

"My cousin got his powers and he shape shifts into a turkey so… we don't eat it anymore." Zack, Ethan, Will and Layla tried to hold in their laughter at the sight of Magenta's depressed face but failed earning each of them a glare from her.

"What about you Layla?" Ethan asked the redhead sitting across from him between Will and Zack.

"Ya know the same thing as every year." She responded vaguely hoping to avoid the lecture Zack had given her freshman and sophomore years about disgracing the pilgrims. Thanksgiving was Zack's favorite holiday, probably because of all the food, and he tended to freak out when people didn't celebrate.

"Eating tofurky and holding a funeral for the turkeys that lost their lives." Magenta said knowingly.

"Yup" Layla replied brightly, loving her family's 'special' tradition, despite how depressing her mother could make the funeral.

"Fun," Will said sarcastically, "I get World War III, both sets of Grandparents are coming over and there will probably be a debate over who has stronger powers." Will rolled his eyes remembering the fights that had broken out in previous years between his grandfathers.

"Hey what about you War?" Zack asked dumbly earning a kick in the shins from Magenta.

"What?" Warren looked up from his book for the first time during the lunch period and surveyed the five juniors sitting around him; most of them were glaring at Zack, which wasn't abnormal.

"What are you doing for Thanksgiving?" Zack asked again still not understanding why his girlfriend had kicked him.

"Uhhh nothing," Warren looked at his watch, "I gotta go, I picked up an extra shift at work tonight and I need to finish my homework. Later." He got up from his seat across from Will and walked out of the cafeteria.

"What's with him?" Zack asked as soon as the senior was out of the room. This earned him a glare and another kick from his girlfriend before she spoke.

"Hello, the holidays, no family, ring any bells."

Zack sat there confused before his eyes widened when he remembered Warren's father was in jail and his mom had died when he was nine. "Oh yeah, sorry." He looked down guiltily. Layla rubbed his shoulder for a second before speaking in her usual cheerful tone.

"We should stop by the Paper Lantern tonight and make sure he's ok."

"Chinese" Will whined.

Layla turned to glare at her boyfriend, "Will" she said warningly.

"Fine, but I'm stopping to get pizza first." Layla rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's stubborn nature but didn't argue, she didn't feel like listening to him complain about how much he hated Chinese food all night.

* * *

That night at The Paper Lantern…

Will, Layla, Magenta, Zack and Ethan sat in a small booth in the back corner of The Paper Lantern. Warren had yet to notice them; the restaurant was full of people. Their usual large booth had been reserved for a large party but at the moment only two people were sitting in it. One was a guy in his early twenties. He had wavy dark brown hair and wore a black hoodie. He was facing away from them and was hunched over reading a book, the familiar pose should have given them a hint to his identity. The other occupant of the booth sat across from him. She looked a few years older and had on glasses. She kept her face down, engrossed in the textbook she was taking notes from. It had been just the two of them for the past twenty minutes. The five teenagers kept looking over at them, they looked familiar.

The man with dark brown hair raised his coal colored eyes from the worn copy of Dante's Inferno to the girl across from him. "Am I paranoid or are people staring at us?"

"Of course people are staring at us; we are in a crowded restaurant and have four empty seats." She relied while jotting down notes. "And yes, you are paranoid."

"Ha Ha, I'm serious."

She sighed and lifted her head. Her coal eyes scanned the room quickly before she put her head back down. "There are five teenagers in a booth in the back that look over here a lot."

"That must be it." He went back to reading but five minutes later he looked back up and ran a hand through his wavy hair. "What time is it?"

"7:30. They should be here soon."

A small smile appeared on his face, "Yeah, I'm sure they will _all_ be here any minute."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing," she scoffed, "really nothing". As she looked up to glare at him the bell above the door rang and three loud bickering voices entered the restaurant.

"Could you have driven any slower?" The first man asked in disbelief. He was in his mid-twenties and had short dark brown hair. He wore a black long-sleeved polo shirt.

"Gimme a break I haven't driven since August." Was the defensive reply from the second man. He looked younger than the first, probably in his early twenties. He had long dark brown dreadlocks that were pulled back and he had on a red sweatshirt.

"I'm freezing. Why don't you have a heater in your car?" The third voice came from a girl of about twenty. She also had long dark brown hair and was wearing a white sweater.

"Because it's a piece of crap." Came the response from the first man. They continued fighting as they made their way through the crowd and over to the booth.

"It is not." Was the indignant reply from the second man. The girl piped up agreeing with the first man.

"Yeah it is."

"It's good for the environment." Was the defensive reply.

"Who cares, it's forty degrees out." The girl was still shivering.

"Next time we are taking my car and you can ride your damn bike, itsn't that even better for the environment" the older man said as he sat down next to the girl who had gone back to taking notes. "Sorry we're late."

"Yeah someone drives like a grandpa." The girl added as she sat next to the guy who had also gone back to reading. The man with the dreadlocks sighed knowing he was outnumbered. He pushed the girl's shoulder, "Move over." She rolled her eyes but scooted in. The girl with the glasses closed her book before looking at the three who had just arrived.

"Where's the princess?"

The three replied in unison, "The mall." The man in the corner snorted. The guy with the polo shirt looked over at him. "What did you do?"

"Nothing." Came the reply as he continued to read.

"Really?" the girl sitting next to him asked in disbelief.

"Really" he responded still not looking up at any of them.

The girl across the table nudged his shins and he looked up at her, "Then why were you laughing?"

"It was funny." He stated weakly.

"Lair." Came the immediate retort from the man with the dreadlocks.

"Bite me."

"Well aren't you a ray of sunshine." He rolled his eyes at the man across the table before going back to his book.

There was an awkward silence before the younger girl asked, "Have we ordered yet?"

"No the waiter is ignoring us." The older girl answered.

The man with the dreadlocks sighed as he handed out menus to everyone. "Of course he is." Another silence settled over the five as they read their menus.

"Is that my book?" the man in the corner looked up and his coal eyes settled on Warren's where he was standing at the end of the table.

"Nice to see you too, little brother."


	3. Chapter 3

The Paper Lantern was crowded for a Tuesday night. Warren worked robotically taking orders and delivering food. He was waiting half in dread, half in anticipation for 7:00 to roll around. As he was about to exit the kitchen he heard the bell above the door ring and saw two familiar faces walk in. He backed into the kitchen as the two sat down at a reserved booth.

The first was Adrina Peace, Warren's oldest sister. The studious 24 year old was taking notes from one of her textbooks. Adrina was in her last year at Auburn University where she was studying architectural engineering. Her wavy dark brown hair that usually reached her waist was pulled up into a bun; she was 5'8'' with lightly tanned skin. She hid her coal colored eyes behind sophisticated black rimmed glasses. She wore a black and white stripped long-sleeved shirt, dark jeans and a pair of black converse. With her glasses and her hair held back with a pencil, she looked like a typical college student. That lasted until someone saw the carefully hidden red streaks in her hair or the flame tattoo on her lower back. She was a pyro just like everyone else in the Peace family except their mom. She also had control over water and ice. The contrasting powers gave her a regular body temperature that made it easier to pass for normal, but it sucked in the winter.

The other familiar face was Alex Peace. He sat down across from his older sister and read a book she had been keeping in her bag for him. The 22 year old was 6' tall with tanned skin and coal colored eyes. He wore a black hoodie over a white t-shirt with ripped jeans and a pair of black converse. His dark brown hair was wavy and had the telltale red streaks; he was a pyro and also had control over electricity. His hair almost reached his shoulders; it helped him hide the flame tattoo on his neck that made him look more like an inmate than a student at an Ivy-League university. Alex was a student at the University of Pennsylvania where he was getting his doctorate in psychology and his masters in social work. Most people expected him to end up in jail like his father because he was always playing tricks and getting into trouble but the people who knew him knew he just wanted to help people.

Warren watched them ignore each other for over twenty minutes. He then heard Adrina ask "What did you do?" he didn't hear his brother's response but her could see that she wasn't satisfied with it. Thankfully for Alex she was prevented from further questioning by three loud voices entering.

The first was Nathan Peace. He was tall 6'2'' with tanned skin and coal eyes. His dark brown hair was cut short; the red streak was barely visible. The 23 year old wore a long sleeved black polo shirt, dark jeans and black flip-flops. The shirt was opened just enough to see part of the flame tattoo across his chest. Nathan could control the weather and he was also a pyro. He was the biggest of all the Peace boys. He had a lacrosse scholarship to Duke University where he was studying physical therapy.

The second loud voice that entered was Marley Peace who was desperately defending his car. He was 6' with tanned skin and the trademark coal eyes. He wore a red hoodie, khaki shorts and a pair of Birkenstocks. The flame tattoo that started at his left ankle and covered his calf was visible and the red streaks in his hair were mixed with the dark brown in his dreadlocks. In addition to his pyro powers, he had control over earth, which contributed to his hippie nature. The twenty year old was a sophomore at Georgetown where he was studying anthropology, but he had just returned from a trip to South Africa.

The final person to enter the Paper Lantern was Bella Peace. The nineteen year old was 5'4'' and had tanned skin and coal colored eyes. Her dark brown hair was straight and reached the middle of her back, it had the familiar red streaks in it. She wore a white sweater, jeans that had spots of red paint on them and black boots, to make herself a little taller. She was the artist in the family so most of her clothes had paint on them. Bella was a pyro and she also had control over energy. She could create energy balls, force fields and levitate among other things. Her flame tattoo was in between her shoulder blades and rarely seen. For some reason she was the only Peace who every got really cold, even Adrina didn't, and none of them knew why. That was one of the reasons why she went to school in California. Bella was a freshman at the University of California Berkeley. She studied art and art history.

Warren watched as Bella sat next to Alex and Nathan sat next to Adrina. Marley sat next to Bella after nudging her shoulder to get her to move over. The five talked quietly and Warren figured he would have to go over eventually, he had already asked the bus boy to take them their menus. He walked over and said the first thing he could think of.

"Is that my book?" Alex looked up at him with a smirk on his face.

"It's nice to see you too, little brother." Warren rolled his eyes but still responded.

"You too Al." Figuring the awkwardness was over Marley jumped up and gave his little brother a hug.

"It is so awesome to see you man, I have to tell you all about my trip." Warren nodded and hugged Bella and Alex as they got out of the booth. The three sat down and he turned to Adrina and Nathan and gave them hugs to.

"It's about time you got over here it was me and Alex for like a half hour it was killing me."

"Thanks a lot Dri." Alex put a hand over his heart and made a face of mock-hurt. The six of them laughed.

"Well I would take your order but everyone isn't here yet." Marley was starving so he responded trying to hurry Warren along.

"I'll order for her."

"Fine what are we having?" Warren took their orders and took them to the kitchen before coming back out with their drinks.

"Really where is the diva tonight?" Alex tried to stifle a laugh in the corner causing the five of them to glare at him and Adrina to kick him.

"What did you do?" they all asked in unison.

"Nothing."

"You keep saying that but we still don't believe you." Alex looked down guiltily as Adrina spoke, well as much as he could while still smirking.

"Where is she?" Alex was about to respond when the door burst open and a loud voice half yelled.

"Oh My God."

The restaurants newest occupant marched over to the table and promptly threw her arms around Warren and when she pulled away slapped his arm.

"What the hell was that for?"

"I was waiting at the pizza place for like 40 minutes."

"Why where you there, you knew we were meeting here?"

"Yeah well Alex sent me a text saying you got off work and we were getting pizza instead." The angry look on her face turned to one of understanding and the six of them turned to glare at Alex who was laughing in the corner.

"I hate you, you ass." She plopped down in the seat next to Nathan while Alex kept laughing. After a few seconds of glaring at him, she started to laugh too. The other five shook their heads at the two of them.

"Sorry Tessa."

Tessa Peace, the middle child. The 21 year old was more often than not the person Alex played tricks on, mainly because she couldn't stay mad at him. Tessa was 5'5'' with tanned skin and coal eyes just like the rest of her family. Her dark brown hair had the usual red streaks and was curly. It reached the middle of her back like Bella's. She was a pyro and had control over air and metal. Her pyro tattoo was wings on her shoulder blades, because her air power gave her the ability to fly. She wore a red long sleeved shirt, a black, white and red plaid mini skirt and black heels. She cared the most about how she looked and was the girlyist out of the sisters. She was a student at the Fashion Institute of Paris where she was studying fashion design. Most of the clothes that she made were black, red and white because they were the Peace Family colors, or so she said.

* * *

There were many things the Peace family had in common. They all had dark brown hair with red streaks, tanned skin and coal colored eyes. They all spoke Mandarin and they all had pyro powers along with another one. Not many people knew this about Warren; they only ever saw the pyro powers. Warren was also a telepath and an empath. His empathy allowed him to feel other people's emotions, project emotions on them and take emotions away from them. His telepathy allowed him to understand and speak any language, which was annoying because during Marley's trip to South Africa he was constantly calling with questions. He could also create mind links between the seven of them so they could talk without people knowing, but his favorite thing was that he could use his telepathy to tap into other people's powers. He didn't care too much for knowing what they were feeling or thinking, which just gave him a headache, but it was cool being able to have any power he wanted, most of the time. He never did this at school because Principle Powers had given him a really long lecture on it one day, it had something to do with cheating, he mostly ignored her. But because of this no student at Sky High knew he had other powers, which he was thankful for. He did not want to take peoples pain away on a daily basis, it was too nice and he had a reputation. His siblings on the other hand tried to get him to use these powers whenever they could. Tessa would take him to clubs with her so she could know what potential boyfriends were thinking, that was always unpleasant and sometimes disturbing. Mostly he hated it because it was harder to put up a mental block between them. Whenever he was with them he always knew what they were thinking and feeling so they always came to him for advice, he was the baby it was not supposed to work that way, but then again the Peace Family was not normal.

* * *

It was 8:00 so Warren was getting off work, the food would be ready soon but no one wanted to eat there so they got it to go.

"Warren I am so riding home with you Marley is the slowest driver ever."

"Shut up Bella at least it's safer than being in the car with Alex. 25 means 25 not 55."

"So I go fast I'm still a good driver."

"Really did Adrina let you drive here tonight?"

"Shut up Marley." Marley stuck his tongue out at his big brother and Bella laughed at his immaturity.

"Yeah I'll give you a ride I get off in two minutes."

"Good, I want to get home, eat and go to bed; I was so tired from the flight from California I barely made it up the steps."

"That reminds me which one of you left a duffel bag in the middle of the hall."

"Whoops." Marley said with a smile on his face that disappeared as Warren glared at him, "Sorry it was a long flight I didn't even make it up the stairs I slept on the couch last night.

"Lazy ass" Nathan muttered under his breath, Marley tried to kick him but got Tessa instead who jabbed him with her heel, and Nathan stuck his tongue out at Marley when he winced in pain and gave him a victory smile. Adrina was tired of their childishness so she pushed Nathan and Tessa out of the booth.

"Let's go, Nathan you can go with Tess if you don't want to go in Marley's crap wagon and Bella will wait here for Warren and the two of them will bring the food home." They all nodded and left with Marley trying to convince everyone that his car was not a piece of crap. Warren laughed as they walked out, maybe the holidays wouldn't be that bad after all.


	4. Chapter 4

Warren woke up to his cell buzzing on his nightstand. He reached for it knocking an empty glass over in the process. He groggily answered the phone without looking at the caller id.

"'ello"

"Warren, good you're up."

"Adrina? What the hell do you want it's", he sat up to look at the clock, "Damn it Dri its 6:15"

"Sorry."

"No you're not, what do you want, and why did you call your room is down the hall?"

"I didn't want to get out of bed."

"Alright why did you feel the need to wake me?"

"I was wondering if maybe you would I don't know…"

"Spit it out!"

"Wow someone's cranky, I wanted some coffee."

"I hate you." Warren closed the phone and let his head fall back on the pillow. It started buzzing again; it was going to be a horrible day. He picked it up. "What!"

"Come on War I really want coffee."

"Make it yourself."

"You know I don't know how."

"24 and can't make coffee, pathetic."

"Please."

"I'm not bringing it up to you; you have to get your lazy ass out of bed."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"I hate you." She laughed and he could hear her say, "I love you too." before closing the phone. He groaned as he got out of bed. What was he thinking last night; the holidays were not going to be okay.

Adrina had gone to bed early last night, something about just having written a huge essay, but the rest of them had stayed up eating and talking until about midnight. Marley had fallen asleep on the couch again and didn't wake up after Alex poked him for the better half of ten minutes. Nathan had to carry him upstairs when he was going to bed. Tessa was tired from her flight from Paris so she went to bed shortly after Nathan. Alex and Bella stayed up to help Warren clean up, well Bella did. Alex sat on the counter in the kitchen eating ice cream. The three of them finally made it upstairs at 1:30 because Alex had demanded they play a few rounds of 'Super Smash Brothers' on the play station and Bella wouldn't go to sleep until she won at least once. It was fun but he should have anticipated his big sister's wakeup call and gone to bed earlier.

He walked down the stairs in his pajamas, a pair of green plaid pants and a white wife beater, to the kitchen, thankfully Marley had picked up his bag. Warren set about making the coffee, still half-asleep. As he was getting the mugs out of the cabinet Nathan wondered into the kitchen wearing grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He sat down on a stool and rested his head on the marble countertop.

"Whataya doin up?"

"Makin coffee."

"Yeah but its 6:30."

"I got a lovely wakeup call about fifteen minutes ago." Warren muttered sarcastically.

"Adrina?"

"Yup."

"And she calls Tessa a diva."

"Coffee?" Nathan picked his head up off the counter.

"Yes. Thank you." He took the mug from Warren as he sat down next to him at the counter. "Hey War?"

"What?"

"Do you wanna get me the paper?" Warren rolled his eyes and hit his brother in the back of the head. "Oww" The phone rang as Nathan rubbed the back of his head. Warren and Nathan both stood up.

"I got it."

"Good cuz I'm getting the paper because someone isn't very nice." Warren rolled his eyes again before picking up the phone.

"Hello."

"Warren."

"Alex?" Why the hell was his brother calling him they were in the same house, but Adrina had done the same thing.

"Yeah."

"Why are you calling the house you're upstairs?"

"I called your cell and you didn't answer." He is more like Adrina than he would ever like to admit. Warren knew he was going to regret asking the next question but did anyway.

"What do you want?"

"Breakfast." Of course.

"Alex!"

"Come on please, I haven't had real food in months." Knowing that Alex would only bother him until he agreed Warren gave up with a sigh.

"Fine."

"Yes!" Warren could see him upstairs pumping his fist in the air, "Whatchya gunna make?"

"Chocolate Chip Pancakes."

"You are the best brother ever." Alex screamed into the phone and Warren could hear the smile in his voice.

"I'm not bringing it up to you." He could hear Alex laugh as he hung up. Nathan walked back into the kitchen with the paper and sat back down at the counter.

"Who was that?"

"Alex. He wanted breakfast." Nathan shook his head.

"This family is so sad. What are you making?"

"Pancakes."

"Chocolate Chip?" Nate looked up hopefully.

"Is there any other kind?" The first smile of the morning graced this older brother's face.

"Yes. You make the best chocolate chip pancakes."

"I know." Marley skipped happily into the kitchen wearing smiley face pajama pants and a black wife beater.

"Why the hell are you so happy?" Marley stopped skipping and turned around to half-glare at his big brother, he wasn't very good at being mean so he decided to settle for sarcastic when he responded.

"Good morning to you too Nate. Morning War."

"Morning Mar. Coffee?" Marley took the mug Warren was holding.

"God yes." Warren didn't feel like telling Marley that it was his coffee so he just poured another cup. Marley was standing near the stove pulling his dreadlocks back into a ponytail after noticing that they were sticking out in odd angles, "Are you making breakfast?"

"Umhm. Chocolate chip pancakes." Mar walked over and pulled him into a hug.

"Best. Brother. Ever." Nathan laughed as War tried to get Marley off him.

"He knows." Bella trudged into the kitchen in blue plaid pajama pants and a white thermal long-sleeved shirt. Her hair was back in a ponytail but most of it was coming out and falling in her face.

"Coffee." She demanded and Marley looked at her amused.

"Hey cheery."

"Shut it Marley." She snapped at him. Marley was the only Peace who enjoyed the morning; well he pretty much liked everything.

"What's your issue Bell?"

"I couldn't sleep anymore." She groaned as she sat down next to Nate and stole his coffee. He motioned for Warren to get another one.

"That would explain you being down here." Warren said as he handed his brother a fresh cup of coffee.

"Shut up. Nate hand me the comics." It was a well know fact that Bella was the least pleasant person in the morning; no one held it against her. They did however take every opportunity to tease her.

"Yes your highness." Nathan said giving her a small bow. Alex walked into the kitchen with the hood of his black sweatshirt over his head. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his grey sweat pants, he was not happy to be up.

"When's breakfast gunna be ready?" Bella looked at her gloomy older brother.

"Wow, Sparky's outta bed before ten." He glared at her.

"Kiss my ass Bella."

Tessa strolled into the kitchen to his scene. She wore pink boxers and a black t-shirt. Her usually perfect curls were disheveled and puffy. She smiled before saying sarcastically, "I love it when the family gets along."

"Morning sleeping beauty." Warren called from his place in front of the stove where he was cooking the pancakes.

"Hi." Everyone nodded.

"Dri out of bed?"

"Not that I saw. Can I have coffee?" As soon as she asked that Warren was placing the cup in her hands, "Thank you." She looked over at the stove and a huge smile appeared on her face, "Ohhh Warren's famous chocolate chip pancakes. My day just got better."

"No one told me there were pancakes." Bella said without looking up from the paper. Nathan replied from the seat next to her.

"We thought you were observant enough to notice."

"I guess I'm not."

"I can't believe the Ice Queen is still upstairs." Marley exclaimed, Adrina was usually up before everyone.

"Especially after calling me at 6:15 demanding coffee."

"She didn't." Tessa said in disbelief.

"She did and Alex called wanting breakfast ten minutes later."

"You were already up." Alex said trying to defend himself.

"You didn't know that."

"Fine, I'm sorry." He said rolling his eyes.

"No you're not." Alex smirked at Warren.

"I can pretend." Warren shook his head and went back to making the food. Alex sat on the counter next to him eating chocolate chips from the bowl.

"Get out what you want on your pancakes." Warren called. Marley and Bella got up. Marley got out chocolate syrup, whipped cream and regular syrup. Bella got out peanut butter and sprinkles.

"I can't believe you use chocolate syrup."

"You use peanut butter."

"That's slightly more normal."

"Keep thinking that." Alex said as he threw a handful of chocolate chips in his mouth. An evil smile appeared on his face before he started throwing chocolate chips at Tessa. She tried to ignore him for a few minutes but failed, maybe reading would take her mind off it.

"Can I have the front page of the paper?" Nathan handed it to her.

"Sure I'm only doing the crossword puzzle."

"I wanted to do that." She groaned.

"I doubt you know enough words."

"Shut up Warren." Alex continued throwing chocolate chips and reading about the new Toyota hybrid was not helping, finally she had enough, "Alex!"

"What?" He sat up and looked at her innocently.

"Stop throwing chocolate chips at me." The innocent face he having trouble holding morphed into a smile and she was grinning back at him.

"And clean up the floor."

"No way, Nate."

"Alex doesn't clean." Bella made a good point but that did not change the few dozen chips on the ground.

"True, but Adrina will be mad."

"Why will I be mad?" The oldest Peace child came down for the first time that morning. She was wearing blue pajama pants and a white tank top. Her hair was down and fell to her waist.

"Morning Adrina." The six of them chorused.

"Morning."

"Bout time you woke up. You had me make coffee an hour ago." Warren finished up the pancakes and got out seven plates.

"Sorry I fell back asleep." Warren glared at her.

"I hate you." He put the pancakes on plates, "Now sit down and eat."

The seven of them made their plates. Marley put chocolate sauce on his pancakes, Nathan put syrup on his, Bella used peanut butter and sprinkles, Tessa had chocolate sauce and whipped cream on hers, Adrina used syrup and sprinkles, Alex put more chocolate chips on top of his and Warren used whipped cream and extra chocolate chips. The seven sat down at the kitchen table and talked about random things while they ate. Alex told everyone how he killed Bella at 'Super Smash' the night before and Marley learned how he had made it up to his bed. Adrina was thinking about how they were going to celebrate the holiday the next day, they didn't usually do much but for some reason she wanted this year to be special.

"So what are we making tomorrow?" Alex looked at her as if she was crazy before answering.

"Pizza."

"You can't have pizza on Thanksgiving." She whined.

"We did last year." Marley pointed out.

"That's because dinner was awful."

"Yeah so we skip that and just get the pizza."

"Come on we haven't had a real thanksgiving in…"

"Eleven years." Alex said quietly.

"Yeah." They all got lost in their thoughts about when they were a normal family. Adrina decided to break the tension and was not giving up on her dream of a normal family Thanksgiving.

"Well, it has been too long. So, this year let's get a turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, that raspberry stuff."

"Cranberry sauce." Nathan supplied.

"Yes. And pie and this year we won't mess it up." They all thought about it for a few minutes before Warren replied.

"Okay." Adrina could not believe what she was hearing. Everyone else looked at him a little weird too.

"Okay?"

"Yeah. One condition."

"Name it." She was willing to do anything for a normal family holiday.

"You stay out of the kitchen." Smiles appeared on the other fives faces.

"What? No." Dri protested.

"Okay well how does pepperoni sound?" Bella asked.

"I was thinking white with broccoli." Tessa responded playing along. Adrina caved.

"Okay, okay, I'll stay out."

"Good." They all said at the same time. Adrina was an awful cook and whenever she was in the kitchen, something went wrong. Nathan started making plans, knowing they would have to work hard to do anything normal in their family.

"So we will find some good recipes and buy the food today?"

"Yeah, thanksgiving is tomorrow." Marley said sarcastically.

"Okay so what else are we doing today?" Bella asked, shopping for food shouldn't take them that long. Adrina spoke up.

"I was gunna go visit dad. Anyone wanna come?"

And Warren had thought the day couldn't get any worse.


	5. Chapter 5

The mental wall Warren had been struggling to hold up collapsed beneath the sudden onslaught of emotion. Anger was the primary feeling that vibrated through his skull. There were undertones of annoyance, confusion, exhaustion and a little joy, which was from Marley.

Adrina was looking at her siblings expectantly thinking that they would jump at the chance to visit their incarcerated father. Alex was glaring at her and Warren was sure he saw a few sparks on his fingertips. The other four were looking around the table anxiously, all waiting for someone else to speak first.

"Well? Is anyone going to come with me?" Nathan nervously looked around the silent table.

"Ummm… I guess I will. It's been a while since I saw him last." A small but sincere smile appeared on his big sisters face.

"Great anyone else?"

"I think I'll pass." Alex muttered.

"Come on Alex, you need to get over this." The rest of them looked down not wanting to see what would inevitably come next. They would have left the room but they didn't want two dead siblings when they came back.

"Don't tell me what to do?" Alex shouted at her.

"Alex, he's your father."

"Then he should have acted like one." Adrina and Alex stood up across the table from each other glaring. They were both leaning on the edges of the table and Warren could see burn marks beginning to form. He felt his brother's anger pulsating through his head. He was angry with Adrina, he was angry with his father, he was angry that sometimes life just sucked.

"That's not fair." Warren could feel Adrina's anger too. She was angry with Alex, but she was also a little angry with their dad for making them like this. For ripping the family apart. He could feel the sadness she also felt for herself and her siblings. The feeling that bothered Warren the most was the guilt. She felt responsible for not keeping the family together.

"He made a choice Adrina and he didn't choose us. I have no reason to talk to the man." The two didn't really care what the other felt, they didn't care what their fighting did to the rest of the family; they were so similar like that.

"You will regret this one day." She said warningly.

"You have no idea how I feel or how I will feel so shut the hell up. Just because you put up with the murdering bastard doesn't mean I have to." Alex roughly pushed his chair back before stalking up the steps. Adrina called after him but it was futile.

"Alex! Get back here now! Alex!"

"Let it go Adrina." Bella said as she picked up the chair that was lying on the floor. Adrina glared at the now empty stairs before gathering up the dishes and taking them into the kitchen. There was a small crashing sound when she dropped them in the sink.

"I think I'm gunna skip prison today." Marley said, not wanting to add to the tension that had settled over them, but also not wanting to be stuck in a car for an hour with his angry sister.

"Why don't you come with me and Tessa to visit Mom?"

"That sounds good."

"Warren what are you going to do?"

"First, I'm going to take some Advil because your out of control emotions are hurting my head. Then, I'm going to stop Alex from destroying the house. After that I'll drag him to the grocery store with me."

"You sure you don't want to come with us?" Tessa said.

"I can see Mom anytime; right now Alex needs someone fireproof to listen to him rant."

"That's gunna be you, right?" Marley said with a renewed smile on his face.

"Yes."

"Good because I do not want to be electrocuted."

"Neither do I." Bella agreed.

"Take one for the team man." Nathan said patting him on the back.

"Do not give me one of your lacrosse pep talks."

"Okay, I'll go on the computer and find some recipes so you and Al know what to buy."

"Wow a good idea before noon." Nathan gave him a mock-hurt look before heading up the stairs to his room. Warren reluctantly got up out of his chair to go see Alex.

"Good luck little brother." Marley said with and encouraging nod. Tessa called out to him dramatically.

"Be safe." He rolled his eyes at her while she and Marley burst out laughing. Slowly he began his ascent up the steps.

"Duck if something comes flying at your head." Bella called after him.

* * *

Alex was lying on his bed staring up at the ceiling when he heard a soft knock on his door and a small creak as it opened.

"Hey Al." He lifted his head as his baby brother came in the room and shut the door.

"What do you want?" He said as he stood up and walked over to his dresser.

"Just to talk."

"I'm not really in a talking mood." He flipped through a magazine on his desk trying to ignore Warren.

"That's fair." Suddenly Alex spun around and threw the magazine at the wall. Warren didn't flinch at the sudden motion he just sat calmly on the bed as his brother began to yell.

"Who the hell does she think she is? She can't control my life; she's not my mother, or my father. And it's not like she stuck around here much, she just left for college." He was pacing across the floor flailing his arms around in the air. "To be fair so did I but she did it first. I just don't understand why she needs me to forgive him so badly. I don't understand how any of you have forgiven him. He was our father and he chose a life of evil over his own family. Who does that?" He was talking mostly to himself and Warren let him go. He didn't bother answering any of his questions knowing that it would only get him to stop talking and bottle up his anger. "I'll tell you who, evil people, and crazy people but dad wasn't crazy. At least not in the normal sense, he was a little deranged but aren't we all. I just don't see why I'm the bad guy, like it's my fault that we don't get along. It's his fault; he's the one that got his sorry ass thrown in jail not me. Well I did get arrested that one time, well two times but it wasn't my fault, maybe it was but I'm still not serving four life sentences. How do you even do that? Is he a fucking cat? Does he have nine lives? I don't get it." Warren hoped that that was the end of his rambling, sadly it wasn't.

"Well I think-"

"How does she expect me to just forget what he did? He left us. It wasn't like he packed up his bags and headed for Hollywood; he probably wouldn't be a very good actor anyway. Maybe he would, some of the jury did sympathize with him. That is not my point; my point is that he left us. He knew what he was doing could get him arrested and thrown in jail but he did it anyway." Warren could see the heat coming off his hands and was waiting for the fire to start. "He had a complete disregard for our feelings, for mom's feelings, he completely betrayed his entire family. And everyone thinks I'm just like him. I am nothing like him. Nothing!" Warren ducked as the fireball his brother made went whizzing over his head.

"You done now?" Alex plopped down on the bed next to him exhausted from his emotional outburst.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good, now do you want to know what I think?"

"Not really."

"Okay." Warren had on a smug smile knowing that Alex couldn't resist knowing what he thought.

"Fine, what do you think?"

"I think that you're right, Adrina has no right to tell you what to do or what type of relationship, or lack thereof, you have with dad. But-"

"No buts, just agree with me." Alex groaned and fell backwards on the bed.

"Alex listen to me." He reluctantly sat up again and looked at Warren with annoyance. "She only does it because she is your big sister and she loves you. She doesn't want you to wake up one day and wish you knew your father."

"I'm not going to."

"You don't know that Alex. The reason the rest of us could forgive him, well mostly forgive him, is that we remember that despite all the bad things he did and how much of an arrogant ass he could be, he was still our father, and he does love us."

"Warren…" Alex scrubbed a hand over his face.

"You don't have to talk to him, just remember that." Warren got up off the bed sensing that his brother had enough of a heart to heart for one day. "You and me are going to the grocery store to pick up stuff for dinner tomorrow, so get a shower, you stink man." Alex got up off the bed and started to go through his duffel bag looking for clean clothes.

"I'm going. And Warren."

"Yeah?" Warren turned as he was about to open the door.

"Thanks." They shared a small smile before Warren walked out and closed the door behind him.

"Anytime big brother."

* * *

Bella watched in trepidation as Adrina vigorously scrubbed at the plates.

"He just makes me so mad."

"I'm sure he feels that same way about you."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm just saying that you and Alex have never gotten along well, you're too similar." Bella had always been the blunt one in the family and had no problem telling Adrina what she thought. That was the reason Marley and Tessa had left her down there.

"I am nothing like him."

"Hate to break it to you but, yeah you are."

"Shut up." Bella took a minute to calm herself and not snap back at her big sister. She needed to settle her down on add to her rage.

"You need to chill out."

"I'm fine."

"You are so tense right now and, you just broke that plate in half." Adrina looked down at her hands that now held two halves of a plate.

"Damn it." Adrina threw the plate back down in the sink breaking it again. A small piece cut her hand and it started to bleed. Bella softly pushed her out of the way.

"Let me get that." She cleaned up the shards of ceramic as Adrina got out a band-aid and put it on.

"Why does he have to be so difficult?"

"Why do you?" Bella replied and Adrina got a downcast look on her face.

"I'm not difficult." She said stubbornly even though she knew it was true.

"You know Alex doesn't want to see dad, you know he doesn't want to talk to dad, it has been that way for years. He isn't going to change just because you want him to. If he decides to forgive dad and that is a big if, it won't be because you bully him into it."

"Then what will it take?"

"Him deciding that it's what he wants."

"That'll never happen." She whined like a spoiled four year old.

"Never say never." Bella said with a small smile.


	6. Chapter 6

"I'm not gunna die, I'm not gunna die, I'm not gunna die." Nathan repeated the mantra under his breath as Adrina weaved the car through traffic at 85 miles per hour. The speed limit sign had been blurry as they passed it but she was pretty sure the speed limit was 45 or maybe 55.

"What!" She screamed over the sound of air rushing in the open windows and music blasting on the radio.

"Can you believe that guy?" He shakily answered not wanting to add to whatever was compelling her to drive like Alex. The only difference was that Nathan wasn't this scared when Alex was driving because he did it all the time. Adrina on the other hand never went more than 10 miles over the speed limit.

"I know, he totally cut me off." She said with disbelief as she raced down the exit ramp.

"Yeah, maybe you should slow down… just a little… to maybe only twenty miles above the speed limit." He said bracing himself against the door and the dashboard.

"Sorry." She slowed down to 65. They were now on an empty long stretch of road that only led to the Maxville Maximum Security Penitentiary. They were surrounded by fields, a few trees but mostly just vast nothingness.

"No problem" Nathan said with a sigh of relief.

"It's just, I hate going there." She said flipping the radio off so she could talk without yelling.

"Then why are you trying to break the land speed record?" Nathan asked curiously.

"I don't know, maybe so I won't have time to turn around." He chuckled at the thought. It then dawned on him that he could not remember her ever driving to the prison; it was always him or Tessa. Adrina usually sat in the back staring out the window. He also remembered that she had not been since the previous May.

"There is nothing wrong with not liking to visit your father in prison."

"I know, I just… I feel bad." He sighed hearing the guilt in her voice for not visiting their father more; he could always hear guilt in her voice.

"Just because Marley, Tessa and Bella aren't here doesn't mean they don't love him."

"What about Warren and Alex?" he cursed under his breath hoping she wouldn't notice he deliberately left two of their siblings out.

"It's different with them." He responded vaguely hoping she wouldn't press him for more information. He knew it was false hope because other than Marley who would go through anyone's things, he had no concept of privacy, Adrina was the most nosey person he knew.

"How?" She said looking over at him instead of the road.

"Eyes on the road!"He screamed as she swerved towards the trees that were lining the highway. "Pull over." She rolled her eyes but did as he asked, well more demanded. Once his heart was beating steadily again he turned to his sister. "Switch seats with me."

"Why?" she asked incredulously, completely oblivious to the fact that her brother had been fearing for his life since she had pulled out of their driveway a half an hour before.

"Because I don't really feel like dying today." He said as he got out, walked around the front of the car and opened the driver side door.

"Fine." She huffed but unbuckled anyway and climbed over the center console. "Now will you answer my question? How is it different with them?" She said. He shook his head knowing that she was just being ignorant about her two brothers' feelings. If she thought about it their reasons were obvious but it came as no surprise to him that she didn't think about it beyond her fights with Alex. After those she only thought about how stubborn and thick headed he was being. She probably wouldn't be able to be mad at him if she thought about his reasons.

"Warren lives in a different world than us. When we were in high school nobody knew who our parents were. Everyone at Warren's school does, their parents probably fought dad, he has to deal with everyone thinking that he's like that too. And he sees the other side, the damage dad caused and I guess he feels guilty." He said adjusting the seat to fit his much larger body.

She nodded in response knowing that he was probably right before asking about their other brother. "And Alex?"

"That's something you have to ask him." He said putting the car in gear and pulling back onto the road.

* * *

Tessa, Bella and Marley walked quietly through the grass of Maxville Cemetery looking at the headstones and the flowers some had placed in front of them. Some had little beds of flowers around them that looked well cared for and others had little figurines or flags decorating them. When Marley saw flowers that were beginning to wilt he used his powers to revive them. After a few minutes of weaving around the graves the three stood in front of the one that belonged to their mother. There weren't any flowers or figurines, which did not surprise any of them. Tessa knelt down to place the roses she had bought in front of the headstone. Marley and Bella stepped back so she could have some time alone with their mom.

The knees of her black pants were getting damp as she knelt on the ground but Tessa didn't care. After breakfast she had gone upstairs and gotten ready to visit her mother. She took a shower and fixed her hair before putting on black trousers and a red blouse, she put on a pair of black stiletto boots and then did her makeup, she wanted to look nice, she hadn't been to the cemetery in almost a year.

Her fingers traced the words carved in marble as she told her mom about her life. She talked about her classes at school and the new clothes she was designing. She told her about the fight that Alex and Adrina had that morning. A few tears escaped her eyes as she told her mom how she missed her and wished she was still there because then maybe they would still be a family.

Marley had gone for a walk, anything to keep him from eavesdropping on their sister's conversation. Bella sat at the base of a nearby tree with her sketchbook open in from of her. She had finished a picture of Marley from a scene that had played out before her only a few minutes prior. The sleeves of his dress shirt were rolled up and he held his shoes in one hand. The bottoms of his pants were cuffed as he walked around barefoot. A strong breeze had come through blowing his dreadlocks behind him, he eyes were closed and his face was solemn instead of cheery. She was now trying to sketch a picture of Tessa kneeling before the headstone. As she sat there she couldn't help but hear how her big sister's voice cracked and she then knew exactly what she would draw. She moved the pencil skillfully and swiftly over the page using her index finger to smudge when necessary. During this Marley had slid down next to her and watched Tessa with the same solemn expression he had in her drawing. Bella looked down at the sketch putting a few finishing touches on it. It was just Tessa's head, her curls blowing around her. She is biting her lip to keep from sobbing out loud, her eyes are clamped shut and tears are rolling down her cheeks. She had zoned out while drawing but she could see that Marley was itching to go comfort Tessa. She placed a hand on his arm to keep him in place. He looked at her with the same solemn face, she was beginning to hate it.

"I guess we are just going to have to deal with it, those two can never seem to get along. I… I miss you Mom, I'm sorry that I haven't been here in a long time, I've been really busy… that's a lie, I just… it's just hard to do this. Why did you have to die? Why couldn't you stay with us? We needed you, we still need you. Alex and Adrina can't stand each other, Warren takes care of all of us and is more of a grownup than he should be at seventeen, before I came home I hadn't talked to Marley or Nathan in months, we need you, you would have kept us together. If you were still here we would still be a family, not this group of strangers who see each other a few times a year. What do I have to do to get my family back? What do I have to do? I'll do anything, please just tell me how to fix us."

Marley watched her shoulders shake as she cried but knew he couldn't go over to her, he shouldn't have been listening in the first place. Bella placed her hand lightly on his forearm but it was enough to remind him that he couldn't fix this. Glancing over at Bella's sketchbook he saw what Tessa probably looked like at that very moment. He looked at his little sister meeting her eyes for the first time since they arrived. Wanting to comfort at least one of his sisters he tried to give a small reassuring smile but his lips wouldn't move, no matter how hard he tried. The two of them sat there for a few more seconds, him trying desperately to make his mouth twitch into a grin but it wouldn't happen. Finally giving up he looked up to see Tessa standing and brushing dirt off her knees. He heard her whisper a quick 'I love you' before pulling herself back together and drying her face of her tears. She walked back to him and Bella with her head bowed. "I'm gunna wait for you two at the car." The both nodded in response as she walked off.

"You wanna go first Bell?" Marley spoke in a voice so soft in was almost a whisper and Bella answered him just as quietly.

"Sure." She took a few small steps forward until her shoes were brushing the flowers Tessa had placed on the ground.

* * *

Nathan drove up to the gate at the front of the Maxville Maximum Security Penitentiary. It was in the middle of nowhere with a large concrete wall topped with barbed wire surrounding it. The only entrance was a small gate cut out in the wall. As the car pulled into it they both felt their powers become neutralized. The red streaks disappeared from their hair and the flame tattoos vanished from their skin. The entire prison was covered with a superpower neutralizer. There were all kinds of sensors in the wall that let security team inside know who was coming and what powers had just been neutralized. There were cameras all around the outside of the wall providing a complete view of the area surrounding it. It was the same on the inside; there were cameras, motion detectors and heat sensors giving an up to the second update of everything going on within the grounds. After getting through the gate and security that guarded it he drove forward finding a space in the parking lot. As he shut the car off he could hear his sister muttering next to him.

"I hate this place. It is so ugly. What is with the grey, couldn't they add some brown to mix it up a bit." He rolled his eyes as they got out of the car and started walking to the entrance. There was a scowl on her face as she surveyed the building in front of her.

"It's an architectural disaster." She said finally after peeling her eyes away when they got close to the door.

"I doubt they had it designed by Frank Lloyd Wright." He responded dryly to his sister's muttering.

"I know but still- You know who Frank Lloyd Wright is?" Her voice quickly went from annoyance to shock and she looked at him with an arched eyebrow.

"I do listen to you from time to time." Nathan pushed open the heavy metal door and held it open for his sister. "Here we go."

* * *

Bella stood awkwardly in front of her mother's grave shuffling her feet and tapping her fingers against her thigh. It was bad enough that Tessa had forced her to wear a skirt but she had never been good at talking to their mom; well not after she died and Bella was really just talking to a piece of polished marble. Biting her lip she tried to figure out what to say. She decided to sit down and draw, maybe words would come to her, maybe not, but she was there and it counted for something. "So… Mom… am I the only one who has issues talking to a rock? Probably." She absentmindedly doodled on the page and pushed the feeling that she was just talking to herself to the back of her head and continued. "What have I been up to, well I'm at college, Cal Berkley, it's nice and sunny all the time. I really like it. I'm studying art but I bet that's no surprise." She could remember sitting at the kitchen table coloring while her mom would make dinner and the two of them finger-painting when she was little. It had been fun, she had a lot of good memories from her childhood, they just tended to be overshadowed by the bad ones. "I don't know if Tess told you but we are going to try and have a real Thanksgiving. I know, it sounds crazy, I've already checked which pizza places will be open, just in case. Who knows maybe it will be alright, Dri isn't allowed in the kitchen, you remember what happened to her Easy Bake Oven. Well none of us actually know what happened but I do remember the big melted mess on the kitchen counter. She and Nate are visiting Dad, War and Al are grocery shopping, poor Warren. I don't think much has changed since last time we had one of these… chats, Alex and Dri still don't get along, Marley is still as happy as ever except for today he hasn't been very smiley, Tessa still forgives Alex every time he plays a trick on her or annoys her, Nathan is still playing lacrosse and being an overachiever at the same time and Warren is still Warren. Me, well, I don't have a boyfriend, I keep getting paint on all my clothes and I am still freezing all the time. That pretty much sums up life at the moment if anything changes I'll let you know next time. Well… okay… ummm bye I guess… I love you." She scrunched up her nose hating how weird that was before getting up grabbing her sketchbook and walking away giving Marley some time with their mom.

She got back to the car where Tessa was perched on the hood picking at her nail polish. The two of them sat in a comfortable silence, both feeling the same pain. Tessa grabbed her hand and interlaced their fingers. The heat from Tessa comforted her and took some of the chill away from her usually ice cold hands. They just sat there standing next to each other, hands clasped letting the other know she was still there. Bella looked down at what she had been doodling while talking to their mom. It wasn't as detailed as most of her drawings but it wasn't bad either. Marley started to make his way back to the car so she let go of her sister's hand and tossed her pad and pencil in the backseat before getting behind the wheel.

* * *

Adrina felt like she was being interrogated as the security guards asked her questions before allowing her into the visiting room. Nathan was standing a few yards away getting the same treatment but not seeming phased in the least. She didn't know how he wasn't getting annoyed. First they had to walk through a scanner so security could know everything about them, their powers, what was in their pockets, what the last thing they ate was, what their body temperature was, if they were having any hostile thoughts, she was sure they knew what color underwear she was wearing too. Then they had to fill out visitation forms that were at least six pages long. She had to tell them where she went to school, what types of grades she got, how much she weighed, when she had last been there, why she was there, what her powers were, if she had been sick recently, if she had a criminal record, thankfully they never asked what her favorite color was because she had been about to scream. How most of the information would help them she had no idea, it seemed like a waste of time and paper. Then after someone went over the scans and the forms she and Nathan had been led to the visiting room which she was still waiting to get into. The guard outside was asking her questions she had answered in the visitation form and was reassuring her that they were going to watch everything her father did when he got in the room. She nodded robotically pretending to care what the man had to say before he opened the door and ushered both her and Nathan into the room. They sat down on the cold metal chairs while the guard locked them in. She was about to kill Nathan for tapping his fingers against the table to a beat she could not figure out when the force field surrounding the room flashed green signaling that it was being taken down. A few seconds later they heard the door being unlocked and opened followed by three sets of footsteps. Adrina looked up watching two guards remove restraints from her father before leaving the room. The force field flashed again as it was activated and the three of them were left alone in the room.

* * *

When Bella was done Marley walked over to the grave and sat down cross legged in front of it. He spent a few minutes trying to get comfortable before he began speaking. "Hey ma, wow it has been a long time, sorry I haven't been here, I have been at college and I was studying abroad in South Africa, it was so amazing. I'm thinking of joining the Peace Corps when I am done school. It was such a cool place to be, the people were friendly and I got to learn about their culture, I lived like they did. There was no electricity or running water it was just this small village in the middle of nowhere. It gave me a new respect for everything that we have here." He only paused his rambling to take the occasional breath. "Tessa made me dress up to come see you, I was wearing real shoes, I took them off when she wasn't paying attention. I'm sure I'll get hell for it on the way home. In my defense I couldn't see my toes, it was disturbing, I am never coming here with her again because no one else cares what kind of shoes I wear, and you know I hate it when I can't see my feet. Another good thing about Africa, I didn't have to wear shoes, it was so great, sure my feet were kinda dirty all the time but I loved it. I got so in touch with my earthy side, my powers felt so much stronger when I was there. So, I have been back in the U.S. for a few months, I haven't seen any of them. I called Warren a few times and Bella to see how she was doing at school. I don't think I spoke to Tessa at all, no texts or emails, no facebook messages, I don't even know if we are facebook friends. I bet you have no idea what I'm talking about. It's alright, a little after your time. You're lucky you aren't around for it, it's addicting. We haven't even been home a day and Alex and Adrina have already gotten into their first fight." He spoke like he was actually having a conversation with his mom, imagining what she would say and answering her questions. "What about? Dad? Really? They always fight about Dad, it drives me crazy, it drives all of us crazy. Why can't they just agree to disagree or whatever, the rest of us don't need this. We're trying to spend time together and be a family and those two have to go and ruin it. Maybe tomorrow they'll give it a rest, it could be our first family thanksgiving in… I think it's been eleven years. How sad it that. The seven of us haven't been able to get it together once in eleven years. Christmas has always been a little weird too; ya know eating pizza or Chinese. Maybe those are Peace Family traditions, too bad Adrina is desperate to be normal, whatever the hell that is. I guess I should get going, the girls are standing over at the car waiting. I love you mom, I'll try to come around more, I can't promise but even when I'm not here I think about you. See ya soon. Happy Thanksgiving." After about ten minutes of constant talking he was finally quiet. He walked back to the car where Bella and Tessa were waiting for him. Wordlessly he slipped in the backseat and Bella started to drive away. Bella's sketchbook was on the seat next to him, open he might add, he had to take a look. Alright if it wasn't open he would have opened it but he didn't have to which did not qualify as snooping. Happy with this his lips started to twitch into the first small smile since driving through the cemetery gates. The picture was simple, nowhere near as detailed as the picture of Tessa he had seen earlier, but for this simple was nice. It was a picture of a piece of carved marble engraved with the words:

Zoe Yang Peace

September 2, 1963 - August 18, 2000

Loving Mother, Daughter,

Wife and Friend


	7. Chapter 7

Warren tapped into Bella's powers to lock Alex in his room after their talk until Adrina and Nathan left, to avoid another fight. Despite the talks he and Bella had with them there was still a good chance of them hurling fireballs at each other. Nathan did not look happy when Dri called that she was driving but dutifully got in the passenger seat. Warren was sure he was regretting that as their big sister peeled out of the driveway, leaving the sound of squealing tires echoing in the air. Hoping that they made it to the prison and back alive he went back inside and poured himself another cup of coffee. It was his third of the day but he needed it if he was talking Alex to the grocery store. Marley came downstairs and flopped onto the couch. His dreds were pulled back and he was wearing black dress pants and a black dress shirt. He stayed there sprawled out taking up most of the couch grumbling about how Tessa was making him wear real shoes, Marley was probably the only person in the world who could grumble with a smile on his face. Warren went back into the kitchen to make his brother another cup of coffee that was more chocolate syrup than coffee, just the way his brother liked it. When the mug was shoved in his face he stopped whining in favor of savoring the chocolaty deliciousness, Marley's words not his.

Bella came down next in another outfit Warren was sure Tessa picked out. She had a tendency to do that for all of them. He had no doubt that tomorrow she would lay out clothes for each of them and they would get hell for wearing anything else. His youngest older sister was wearing grey dress pants with a matching grey blazer and a with dress shirt underneath. Her jewelry was all black and she had on black flats. Usually the only thing she did to her hair was pull it back into a ponytail but now it was pulled back into a sleek updo that was obviously Tessa's doing as well. Bella may be an artist but when it came to her appearance she put in minimal effort. Seeing how much work Tessa had put into getting her siblings ready there was no telling how long it would be until she was ready herself.

The three of them sat in the living room watching ESPN in silence until Alex started screaming for someone to let him out of his 'god-damn room before he burnt down the door'.

* * *

If there was a god or some higher power Warren was sure that it hated him. One, he was in a crowded grocery store the day before thanksgiving. Two, he was with Alex. Three, Christmas songs were already being played over the loudspeaker in the store. Four, he was with Alex. Five, Adrina had made a long fucking list of demands and did he mention that he was with ALEX. He loved his brother; he really did but taking Alex to the grocery store was like taking Tessa to Fashion Week, taking Bella to the Louvre or taking Marley to the zoo. He was so excited about everything and was throwing anything he wanted into the cart. So far they had five kinds of cereal, three flavors of poptarts and nothing from the list. This was going to take forever, they had just finished the first aisle, there was still an entire crowded store left. Alex got so excited over everything and Warren didn't have the energy to argue with him about who was going to eat all this food, they would all be gone by the weekend leaving him and enough food to feed all those people in Africa Marley was always talking about. He could just invite Zack over; the kid was a bottomless pit.

Alex was rambling on about something, it might have been granola bars that Marley wanted or it could have been the ingredients on the side of the Captain Crunch box that he had not let go of since reverently lifting it off the shelf, but whatever it was Warren had stopped listening ten minutes ago. He caught a flash of red hair out of the corner of his eye and looked over to see Layla coming down the aisle toward him, and his brother. "Hey Al, why don't you go pick out some chips?" His eyes lit up with glee. "Ok, this might take a while." "That's okay, it might take a while to get out of this aisle, there are a lot of people here."And hopefully he could get rid of Layla before he got back. "Someone else could get all the good ones!" And with that Alex had taken off down the aisle weaving his way between the people and their carts, probably running into more than a few of them but Warren was going to overlook that for the moment. Layla spotted him and turned her bright smile on him. "Warren, what are you doing here?" She said sounding surprised. "Shopping, unfortunately." A quick roll of her eyes said 'of course you're shopping stupid', which she was far too nice to actually voice. "Yeah, this is definitely not the place for you, especially with so many people." "I know, that's why I put a power neutralizing bracelet on before coming." "You didn't?" She said incredulously. "Did." He pushed up his sleeve so she could see it. "You are so crazy."He gave her a small smile. "So what are you doing here Hippie? I figured that your family would have everything already." She let out an annoyed sigh, "We did, until my uncle showed up and he refuses to not have turkey, so my dad sent me to get some deli meat." Warren liked her dad he had a good sense of humor. "Nice." "He is going to be so pissed tomorrow." Layla was trying not to smile at her uncle's misfortune. "Are you actually looking forward to that?" "Well, he's not my favorite uncle." They were both laughing when Warren heard his brother bellow, "Out of my way!" Warren turned to see Alex carrying at least fifteen bags of chips. "Did you leave any for the other people?" "Yeah, I think?" he said not even pretending to care. "Dude, do you have any idea how many kinds of chips they have?" "I'm guessing quite a few considering how many you brought back." "Wow." She was looking at Alex with wide eyes. "Who's she?" Alex said moving to stand behind his little brother like he thought the petit redhead was a threat. Layla gave him a bright smile, "Hey, I saw you last night at the Paper Lantern with Warren." "Ohhh stalker… that's hot." "You are so twisted." Warren mumbled as he rubbed the bridge of his nose trying to stave off an Alex induced headache. "Layla, this is my older brother Alex, Alex this is my friend Layla." Because he was Alex, he ignored the introduction for the time being to wrap an arm around Warren's shoulders and pinch his cheek. "Awwww Warry made a friend, I'm so proud." Used to the fact that his brother was an idiot Warren didn't even attempt to push him away knowing that it would only provoke him. "I hate you." "How could you not?" "It's nice to meet you Alex." Layla stuck out her hand which Alex shook still hiding partially behind his baby brother. "You too Layla. So how long have you known my lil bro? He hasn't told me anything about you which is rude but, he doesn't share much about his personal life with anyone especially not his favorite brother." Alex ignored Warren's grumbled 'second favorite'. "About three years now, I met him at the beginning of my freshman year." "That's cool." He nodded his head awkwardly, "So what are you doing here?" "Oh I had to get some turkey for my uncle." Alex was confused as he looked at the prepackaged lunchmeat she was holding. "You're not eating a real turkey tomorrow?" "Oh, no I'm a vegan." His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at her. "A what?" "A vegan I don't eat any animal products like dairy or meat." Alex stared at her like she was an alien for a few seconds before turning to his brother. He spoke in what Warren was sure Alex thought was a whisper but was really much closer to shrieking. "Warren did you hear her! She doesn't eat meat!" "Yeah I know." "No meat! No chicken, turkey, ham, beef, bacon," His eyes got impossibly wide. He turned back to Layla, "How can a person not eat bacon!" Warren scrubbed a hand over his face; stuff like this was why he didn't introduce his family to anyone. "You're being a little dramatic." "But she doesn't eat meat!" "I know, get over it." Alex heaved a big sigh before speaking to Layla again. "Do you at least eat processed sugar?" "Yes." She said cautiously, not knowing what to make of the man in front of her. He sighed, this time in relief, and sagged against his brother, "Oh thank god there is hope for you yet."


End file.
